Economic uncertainty has not made donors retrench.

Economic uncertainty has not made donors retrench.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- When Kevin M. Spiegel talks about Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital's projects to provide the most modern of health care, it's done with enthusiasm and gusto.
"I love what I do," says a confident Spiegel, the hospital's chief operating officer -- while acknowledging the challenge of his job. "Striving for excellence is difficult."
The hospital is in the midst of a $20 million expansion and modernization program. It's part of a $120 million, five-year master plan.
Now under construction is a center for emergency medicine, a radiation oncology facility and a 142-foot pedestrian skyway that connects the hospital's second floor with the radiation oncology department's third floor across East Market Street from the hospital.
Todd Hickey, hospital vice president of operations, said the emergency center and oncology facility will be completed in the first quarter of 2006.
Amber Wallace, director of philanthropy, explained that the philanthropy board has set a $4 million goal to partially fund the improvements.
Of the $2.7 million donated so far, $500,000 has come from the employees.
"It's not just a place where people work; it's their lives," Wallace said. "They believe in the project."
The economic uncertainty of the General Motors Corp.'s Lordstown plant and Delphi Packard Electric Systems has not caused donors to retrench.
Specific improvements
"We want to go from good to great," Spiegel said of the new facilities under construction and the state-of-the-art equipment these will contain.
The facilities are needed, he noted, as the need increases with the population growing older.
Spiegel called attention to the radiation oncology department where radiation therapy will be done with equipment that will produce a beam with "pinpoint accuracy."
Spiegel explained that the therapy will minimize damage to healthy tissue and destroy the cancerous tissue.
As Spiegel walks through the hospital, he knows employees -- many of them by name -- and they know him. The atmosphere is casual. Spiegel, 49, came to TMH two years ago from Southampton Hospital in Southampton, N.Y.
A temporary emergency room off the hospital lobby is being used as construction progresses on the center for emergency medicine.
When complete, it will contain 30 patient rooms, a decontamination area and two trauma rooms, and a domestic violence/sexual assault treatment suite with a separate entrance to ensure privacy.
Also, the center will have two trauma CT scanners, five ambulance bays, helipad, showers for paramedics and three chest-pain rooms.
Goal: speedy treatment
Spiegel explained that the goal is to get a patient who arrives at emergency with chest pains to the cardiac center and have treatment initiated within 20 minutes.
At the cardiac center, the range of treatment includes catheterization to open-heart surgery.
Although the minimum national standard for such treatment is 120 minutes, Spiegel pointed out TMH is at the 90-minute level.
One patient received treatment in 14 minutes, while others have been treated within 27, 42 and 50 minutes of arrival.
"Time is muscle. You really have to hustle," Spiegel said of the emphasis on speed. The longer a heart goes without blood, the greater chance the organ will die.
At the cardiac center, nurses and technicians have used NASCAR to demonstrate the emphasis on time with timing posted and checkered flags. The physicians have their faces superimposed over the photographs of NASCAR drivers and have a floating trophy for those who can give treatment to patients the fastest.
"We hope to bring some special things to this community," Hickey said.
He called attention to upgrading the maternity ward and orthopedic department, also to happen this year.
TMH has been designated by Solucient, an Evanston, Ill.-based health-care information company, as one of the 100 top hospitals in the nation with 250 or more acute-care beds.
yovich@vindy.com